Chapter I:
BLOOD
Yuuri's POV
Just after Conrad's return from Belal IV's side, Yuuri had begun sleeping in his room at night. Although the man wouldn't sleep but for a few hours, Yuuri just wanted to be near him and remind himself that the man was his again - not that freak's. One night, as usual, it was just before midnight and Yuuri lay alone on the soldier's bed when he was suddenly woken up. He didn't have to look around the room to find the source of his discomfort - it was standing right above him. The man (or woman... Yuuri couldn't tell, honestly...) was dressed entirely in black, with a black mask that covered the entire face, showing only blue, angry eyes.
Frozen in fear, Yuuri could say nothing and nor could he scream. How did he get into my castle, he thought. And how many are there? More importantly, who was he here to kill? Me or Conrad?
The person only stared at the king silently for a couple of seconds before obviously snapping to attention at the sound of the bedroom door being opened. Swiftly, he moved to the window, jumping out it before Conrad could reach him and shout out the window at the guards below to seize him. The soldier ran to the door and peeked his head out, yelling for somebody to send guards to find the man in black before walking over to Yuuri. He breathed a sigh of relief that the Maoh seemed to be completely unharmed, but still asked if Yuuri was alright, just in case. What kind of a guard would he be if he didn't ask about the boy's safety? Of course, these are just the smaller reasons why he admired Conrad so much. So much.
"Yeah", he replied, calmly. He was only surprised and confused at what had just happened and how he managed to get away unscathed. "What? Did he come to watch me sleep? That's kind of creepy", Yuuri nervously laughed, grunting at the ache in his stomach.
As Conrad made his way to Yuuri's side of the bed, his steps began to slow and his expression changed to that of someone who was absolutely terrified. Yuuri looked around the room and on the bed to find the thing that the man was staring at with shock, but found nothing but darkness. "What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost, Conrad", he smiled.
Conrad only took one slight step closer and, not moving his eyes from wherever they were fixed upon, he asked, "Are you absolutely sure that you're alright, your majesty?"
"That's a weird question", Yuuri bluntly stated before laughing nervously. Conrad was acting really weird. "Of course I'm fine - I think I'd know if I wasn't."
The soldier looked his king in the eye for a split second before Murata, Wolfram, Gwendal, and Gunter all burst through the doors with several guards. At this point, Yuuri noticed that he could hear a liquid dripping onto a solid surface, like water dripping from a faucet.
"Your majesty, is everything alright? We came as soon as we-" Gunter said on his way to the bed, stopping abruptly and staring at the sheets with what could be mistaken as the expression of a man who's heart had just been broken. No offense, Gunter, Yuuri thought. But you're kind of a drama queen...
Gwendal, Murata, and Wolfram joined the other two in staring at the sheets before Gunter's expression changed to one of irritation or impatience. Reading his expressions is hard. "Wolfram, light the room! You!" Gunter turned to Dacascos with a tick of irritation drawn clear on his forehead as the bald-headed man stood firm and saluted the king's assistant. "Go get Gisela! Hurry!"
"Yes, sir", Dacascos nearly screamed before running out the door.
"It's okay, your majesty", the pale-haired man continued tears streaming down his face. "I won't let anything happen to you."
"That should be my line", Wolfram yelled after lighting the candles, pushing Gunter aside and holding Yuuri's hand. "You'll be okay, Yuuri. I'm here, now."
The movement of the bed caused him to wince in pain - his stomach hurt really bad. "Why are you all acting so weird?" Yuuri was, actually, starting to slightly panic at the atmosphere which hung around them and the expressions on their faces. He looked up at Murata but was only met with a surprised and fearful expression. He had never seen such a look on his best friend's face...
They looked at him with shocked expressions and Conrad spoke up, sounding slightly on edge. "You don't feel it, your majesty?"
Everyone looked down at his stomach, so he followed their gaze and was met with the sight of a dark, pool of red liquid.
Earlier, it was too dark for him to see, but now he could see it. It covered his chest, his lap, wrapped around his legs, and dripped onto the floor. Only then did the pain in his stomach become unbearable and he screamed out in agony, curling over in a fetal position facing away from Conrad, and clutching his stomach, letting go immediately as the pain worsened. It was the worst feeling, like he was being ripped apart from the inside and it hurt to the point where he felt the need to hold it but holding it made it hurt worse. He had never been stabbed before, so he had never known this kind of pain. This... this was torture...
Conrad's POV
Conrad knelt down and put one hand under the boy's head, his cheek on the boy's ear, and another hand on his hand, squeezing it lightly in an attempt to comfort him, though he was the one in need of comfort. "You'll be alright, your majesty. Just..." He paused, gritting his teeth and "tsk"ing under his breath as Yuuri gasped in pain repeatedly. "Just don't close your eyes..."
At that last comment, Yuuri's eyes widened before his tears began to thicken and come in greater numbers, soaking the pillow which lie under his head. Wolfram angrily shouted, "What are you trying to do, Conrart, scare him?! He's gonna be fine - don't say things like that!"
"You're right", Conrad responded with as calm of a tone as he could make out, smiling as best as he could. He was terrified but, at the very least, he had to have faith that his king would be okay. He had to... that's all he had - faith. He lifted his head to look at Yuuri and wiped away his tears with the hand that was holding the boy's hand, attempting to soothe him with his words and actions. That's all he could do for him, really. "You'll be fine, your majesty, so don't cry."
That was when Conrad noticed that the Yuuri seemed to be asleep. No... he wasn't breathing, even. The soldier's heart skipped a beat. "Yuuri", he barely choked out, hoping desperately to see the king's eyes open and for him to respond. He couldn't live without his majesty... Yuuri had become his entire life and Conrad wouldn't live without him.
"Yuuri?" Wolfram echoed, sounding just as scared as Conrad. It seemed as though everyone in the room stopped breathing, at that moment, and looked down at their still king with absolute fear. Even Gwendal looked greatly distressed. Murata looked as though he couldn't bare the sight of this; as if he were witnessing death for the first time, despite the fact that he had clearly seen it many times, prior.
Conrad moved closer and put two fingers on the king's neck while Gwendal put his two fingers on Yuuri's wrist. Gunter stood back, stifling his sobs through a cloth for once but never taking his eyes off of the sleeping Maou.
Conrad felt no pulse, so he looked up at Gwendal to hear his report. The dark haired demon only closed his eyes and shook his head before a hint of a tear formed below his eyelashes and he stood up, turning around, and facing away from the group. He was crying and so was everyone else in the room. Though, Gwendal was the only one to mourn silently. Everyone else - even Conrad and Murata - cried out the boy's name, shaking him in an attempt to wake him, but to no avail. He was gone.
(This is going to continue for about 3-5 chapters, depending on how many comments I get! c: Honestly, I don't like to write, but comments give me reason to write and help me to stay inspired. I don't want to end this here - inspire me, friends! *^*)
